High school principal promoted to school superintendent in Auburn

AUBURN – When newly named Auburn School Superintendent Darren Root has to make tough decisions next year, he will be able to turn to his family for advice.

Jason Nevel

AUBURN – When newly named Auburn School Superintendent Darren Root has to make tough decisions next year, he will be able to turn to his family for advice.

Darren Root’s brother, Dave Root, is the superintendent of the Williamsville School District. And the connections don’t stop there.

Darren Root said his sister is an assistant superintendent in Indiana, his wife is a teacher in the Ball-Chatham School District and his parents were both educators.

“I have that advantage,” said Root.

Root, 43, now is Auburn High School principal. He will take over for retiring Auburn superintendent Kathy Garrett on July 1.

Root will have a three-year contract with a base salary of $111,000. Garrett is paid a base salary of $130,035. She has been superintendent since 2004.

School Board President Chuck Dubois said the board interviewed five out of the nine people who applied for the position. The names of the other finalists will not be released to protect the candidates’ privacy, Dubois said.

Root’s familiarity with district issues gave him an advantage over some of the other candidates, Dubois said.

“After going through and looking at credentials of each candidate, we felt Darren was the best choice,” Dubois said. “He has the leadership, communication and financial skills to be able to run a district.”

Root has been principal at Auburn High School for the past seven years. His resume also includes stops as a teacher in Pawnee and principal at Raymond-Lincolnwood.

“This is something I’ve worked to become for a long time,” Root said. “This is a great chance for me to give back to a community that has been great to me.”

Root said one of his goals will be to gather support for a possible ballot referendum next year to extend the district’s debt service. He said voter approval would be needed to allow the district to borrow money to pay for repairs to aging facilities.

He also said he wants to increase communication with the public and improve test scores.

There are about 1,500 students in the Auburn School District.

Jason Nevel can be reached at 788-1521.

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